ADRIAN, MI (WTOL) - After asking for years, a mother from Adrian finally gets a specialized shopping cart at Meijer. And thanks to her, families with physical and developmental disabilities can petition their own Meijer locations to get the cart as well.
After getting buckled up, Sophie was ready for a shopping trip with her mom, Ashley Stegg, Wednesday evening. But the five-year-old's trip wasn't in a regular shopping cart, it was in Caroline's Cart.
"It's a game changer, it really is. It lets people who have kids that can't walk, or even kids who are autistic and have sensory disorders, go grocery shopping just like very other family. I don't have to keep my child at home anymore because her needs aren't being met," said Stegg.
Stegg says Sophie has Mowat-Wilson syndrome, and regular carts make it tough for her to stay upright. Caroline's Cart helps with its five-point harness.
It's been a long road to get to this point. Stegg says she had been trying to get Meijer to add the specialized cart for three years.
"I bombarded. I emailed, I called, I put Facebook posts up, and then I would realize my Facebook posts either would be
deleted or hidden, so then I would call them out on it. I'm not one for accepting no when I know that there can be a yes," said Stegg.
In fact Stegg says she's worked to get Caroline's Carts at other stores in Adrian. And in March, she finally got her 'yes ' from Meijer.
"She's sliding a little bit in this because she's just barely big enough to fit in this cart, but it's not just about Sophie, it's about everybody else. People have a name and they're going to benefit from Caroline's Cart," said Stegg.
It's not just Adrian's Meijer location that can get the cart. A Meijer spokesman says at all Meijer stores:
"There is now a process in place for stores to request them and the store directors will manage the process."
But Stegg says this isn't something people should have to ask for at any grocery store.
"I think every single Meijer's store should have at least one cart that's automatically in their store. And as people use them, and as the customer service desk sees the need, they can get more carts based on that need," said Stegg.
